There have always been high rates of emigration from Malta. Still now, migrants leave the islands in search of a better life. In fact, every couple of decades this phenomenon has been happening in Malta since the 19th century.
Have you ever wondered how yourself or someone you know has Maltese relatives in Australia, Canada, America and England?
In the past 200 years there were several waves of emigration happening on the islands. More specifically, in between 1948 and the late 60’s around 30% of the population left the country. At this time, the population of Malta was around 300,000 people, so this involved a considerable chunk of the population.
From those 30% of the population, 310 of them were children.
Why Did People Migrate?
A number of factors came together to push such a large chunk of natives to emigration from Malta, their homeland. To begin with, after the second world war, Malta’s relevance on the strategic map was declining. Not to mention that there were neighboring Mediterranean ports that were now bringing in some competition. This was mostly due to the opening of the Suez canal which changed the trade route.
In addition to this, there was an increase in unemployment whilst people kept having more children. The phenomenon of the ‘baby boom’ was in full effect.
The Maltese had been emigrating to neighboring Mediterranean countries for a long time. Beforehand, their destination was usually the North of Africa. But this time, with the British’s encouragement to reach out for the vast lands of the Empire, they were going to Australia, America and Canada. Still today, the largest Maltese communities outside of Malta are in those countries.
The Commemoration and the Monument
In 2008 the government commissioned a monument next to the—at the time—newly built waterfront area under Floriana, placed aptly next to the Customs house. This memorial in the shape of a paper boat, was designed by architects Rune Jacobson and David Drago.
On the memorial itself the following words are etched:
“This memorial commemorates the 310 child migrants who traveled to Australia in search of a better life between 1950 and 1965. We respect their achievements. We rejoice in their successes. We regret any unintended consequences of child migration.”
The last line is a weighty addition and a necessary acknowledgment of the pain and suffering and traumas some of these children experienced in starting a completely new life in a foreign land at such a young age.
Due to Malta’s size and situation, it is very likely that this will always be its predicament and so this monument stands not only as a memory for the child migrants, but also as a reminder of the phenomenon of migration and of its effects on the country itself and on its people.
